A message from Councillor Andrew Keyes
Dear Ward 5 Residents,
Intensification is a hard issue for us, but it is the new reality. Like many of you, I have been in Markham for a long time and have seen the rapid changes and experience daily the growing traffic challenges. I too am frustrated but I would like to be upfront: Markham’s population is expected to grow by close to 100,00 over the next 10 years, meaning there is more to come.
Commuters are often frustrated by policymakers’ inability to do anything about the problem. Although governments may never be able to eliminate road congestion, Markham City staff and Council are doing our best to find solutions to mitigate these issues. Go Transit and Markham Transit, which was created in 1973 and merged as York Region Transit in 2001, offer numerous routes and rapid transit options to get commuters out of their cars. A new Transit Hub in the Cornell Community will open by the end of 2019 to further assist with convenient transportation to and from the downtown core.
The Donald Cousens Parkway is under utilized and was built for relief. I am diligently pushing for the extension to be completed. This should divert southbound traffic from Stouffville and further north, off of Markham Rd/Hwy 48. Though it does seem counterproductive to travel 7.2 kms east to access Hwy 7 or Hwy 407, the 7 mins or less is significantly quicker than 40 mins plus traveling south along Hwy 48, which is one lane south of 16th Avenue.
Places to Grow Act
Many of you wonder why this intensification is happening. In 2005, the Places to Grow Act (2005) came into effect. The Province recognized there would be a substantial population increase. They designated which Regions across the Province would be required to accommodate these numbers. In York Region the provincially-defined urban growth centres are Markham, Newmarket, Richmond Hill and Vaughan. Please peruse York Region’s Intensification Strategy. In Markham, Langstaff/Thornhill, Downtown Markham, Hwy 48 (Mount Joy GO) and Cornell (Hwy 7) are designated as the High Density Corridors with upwards of 150,000 plus more residents expected over the next 20 years.
Protecting the Greenbelt
How/why were these areas chosen: 40% of all new development must be in the built boundary. Greenbelt Protection, which includes the Greenbelt Act of 2005, Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Plan (2002) and the Greenbelt Plan 2017 limits where new homes can be built. These 4 areas are accessible to services such as transit, shopping, entertainment. A new Urban boundary will also accommodate more Markham residents in Victoria Square.
Mount Joy GO Station Corridor
As you know, in addition to the existing 4 high-rise buildings located on Hwy 48 on the west side (north of 16th Avenue and south of Bur Oak), an additional 3 high-rise buildings have been submitted to the City for approval, 2 on the east side and 1 on the west side. National Homes have plans for another high-rise building with town homes at Castlemore Avenue & Hwy 48.
We expect that most of the commercial/light industrial business along the east side of Hwy 48 between 16th Avenue and Bur Oak will also be redeveloped over the next few years. Further north at Major Mackenzie and Hwy 48 plans have been submitted for the south west corner as well, OnePiece Development have indicated they are close to submitting plans for the south east corner. Currently, City staff are developing the secondary plan for this Hwy 48 corridor.
Your voice matters
We have received many comments and concerns related to the pace of development, particularly along the Hwy 48 Mount Joy corridor. As a result, Markham Council has called for increased public input. We expect to announce a Community Charrette shortly. A Charrette provides residents an opportunity to better understand the context surrounding new development decisions as well as provide valuable input that will help shape development decisions and design.
The Cornell Community continues to be developed with numerous projects in various stages. The area designated for the most intensification is along Hwy 7 between 9th Line and Reesor Road. This area was chosen because of its access to major hi-ways and the new Cornell YRT bus terminal, being completed this year.
I will provide updates for both of these areas as more information becomes available.
I look forward to meeting you soon and I continue to diligently work on your behalf to make Ward 5 Markham an even better community!
Andrew Keyes
Councillor, Ward 5 Markham
P.S. Managing growth is the primary challenge we’re facing in the City of Markham. The decisions we make now will affect the quality of life we experience moving forward. Traffic flow, transit, parking, parks and recreation facilities, schools, and many other community services are impacted. As your representative at Council it’s important that I hear about your thoughts and concerns. Have a look at some of the “Have Your Say” surveys posted on my website, or contact me directly.
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